This invention relates to electrical connectors. More particularly it relates to high density electrical connectors which are attached to panels where the connectors are closely spaced from one another.
A patch panel is used as an interface between common carrier telecommunication lines, a local area network hub, router, or data switch, and the end user equipment where the end user has a substantial number of lines to service telephones, work station computers, and other telecommunications and data communications equipment, such as modems and personal computers. Often a single patch panel will accommodate forty-eight separate lines. A patch panel, in general, consists of a printed circuit board, or a group of boards arranged end to end, having FCC RJ-45 jacks connected to one side and corresponding wire termination connectors attached the other side. The jacks connect the patch panel to the work station equipment through a patch cord and a second patch panel. The wire termination connectors connect the patch panel to the telephone equipment or computer equipment.
The terminated wires are often received in a twenty-five pair cable which is approximately 1 inch in diameter.
There is a growing trend to utilize standard, twenty-five pair ribbon connectors on the telephone or computer side of the circuit board because of the ease of terminating the wires in the cable to the connector, and the space savings and cost savings associated with one cable rather than multiple, individual cables, and so that specific circuits may be easily removed from service, i.e., the twenty-five pair connector is simply disconnected on the board. A typical twenty-five pair connector is sold under the brand name AMP CHAMP. The architecture for the twenty-five pair connector interface has been standardized by the FCC and is referred to as the RJ-21X. In general, half of the connector body is permanently attached to the telephone company or computer side of the circuit board while the other half of the connector body terminates the twenty-five pair cable. In many cases, this structure is repeated at the telephone or computer equipment also.
In the case of a patch panel having twenty-four ports on the customer side, there are normally four ribbon connectors attached to the telephone company side. In some cases, a single circuit board is used, however, more often, four separate adjacent circuit boards are used, but are assembled together so that the boards are in the same plane and are contiguous with one another. The half of the standard ribbon connector which terminates the wire in the cable includes a hood having an opening at one end which receives the cable. Because of this configuration, the cable exits the connector parallel to the circuit board. Due to space and architecture requirements, the connector halves which are attached to the circuit boards are arranged end-to-end in rows and are closely spaced to one another, i.e., often less than 1xc2xd inches apart. With the cable exiting from the other half of the connector parallel to the circuit board, the cable must be severely bent near the exit from the connector hood, otherwise the connector halves cannot be intermated. This problem is illustrated in FIG. 1, which shows circuit board 10 having ribbon type connector halves 12 and 14 attached to the board while the other connector halves 16 and 18 terminate cables 20 and 22. As can be seen, cables 20 and 22 exit the connectors 16 and 18 at one end of their respective hoods 24 and 26 parallel to circuit board 10 resulting in bend 28 in cable 20. If the particular patch panel is a forty-eight port patch panel, there will be two additional ribbon connectors in line with the ribbon connectors shown in FIG. 1 so that two more cables will have to be bent. Bending a cable which carries high speed data, e.g., 100 MHz, will often degrade the signal transmission characteristics. On electronic equipment, this problem is even greater due to higher circuit density allowed by today""s micro electronics. Connector spacing limits circuit density.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide an improved high density electrical connector.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved high density multiple connector patch panel, wherein each connector may be intermated without obstruction by its adjacent connector.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an elongated telecommunication connector, having a cable extending therefrom, which is used adjacent to another connector on a circuit board, whereby the cable need not be bent to avoid contact with the adjacent connector.
It is yet another object to provide an electrical telecommunication connector system for use with circuit boards, whereby the circuit density on the board is improved without degrading signal transmission characteristics.
In accordance with one form of this invention, there is provided an electrical connector for use in connecting an electrical cable having a plurality of wires to an associated substrate. The connector includes a first connector half and a second connector half. The first connector half is selectively connectable to the associated substrate. A base forms a part of the second connector half. The base carries a plurality of electrical contacts for terminating the plurality of wires and for making an electrical connection to the first connector half. A mechanism is juxtaposed to the base. The mechanism receives and holds the electrical cable at an angle greater than 0xc2x0 but less than 90xc2x0 relative to the base. A removable hood is selectively connectable with the base to cover the base and to form an enclosure with the base. The hood is a separate element from the base.
In accordance with one form of this invention, there is provided an electrical connector including a base. The connector base including a plurality of wire termination contacts. The connector includes a hood. The hood covers the base forming an enclosure with the base. The hood has an opening therein for receiving an electrical cable having a plurality of wires. A mechanism is provided to guide the cable into the hood and to hold the cable, where it enters the hood, at an angle greater than 0xc2x0 but less than 90xc2x0 with respect to the base. The hood includes a top and first and second ends. In one embodiment, the top slopes downwardly from the first end to the second end and the opening for receiving the cable is in the first end near the top.
In accordance with another form of this invention, there is provided an elongated twenty-five pair type connector having a wire termination side and a contact side. A hood covers the wire termination side of the connector. A cable containing insulated conductors is provided. The cable enters the hood at an angle greater than 0xc2x0 but less than 90xc2x0 with respect to the wire termination side of the connector.
In accordance with another form of this invention, there is provided a high density connector apparatus including a substrate which, preferably, is in the form of a circuit board. First and second electrical connectors are provided. Each connector includes first and second intermateable halves. The first halves are connected to the circuit board. The first halves are closely spaced and arranged end to end on the substrate. The second half of the first connector has a first base and a first hood and the second half of the second connector has a second base and a second hood. Each hood forms a part of an enclosure. Each hood has a first and second end. The first end of the first hood is adjacent to the second end of the second hood. The first hood has a top. A mechanism is provided to guide a cable into the first hood and to hold the cable, where it enters the hood, at an angle greater than 0xc2x0 but less than 90xc2x0 with respect to the first base. Preferably, the top of the first hood slopes downwardly from its first end to its second end. In one embodiment, the first hood has an opening in its first end near its top for receiving the cable which extends into the enclosure, thereby forming a mechanism for guiding and holding the cable. Because of the downward slope of the top of the hood and the position of the opening, the second connector does not interfere with the cable when the second half of the first connector is intermated with the first half.
In accordance with another form of this invention, there is provided a hood for an electrical connector having an elongated contact carrying base. The hood includes first and second sides, first and second ends, and a top and an open bottom. The bottom is adapted to be connected to the base. The hood and the base form an enclosure. The hood has an opening therein which serves to guide the cable, allowing the cable to exit the hood at an angle greater than 0xc2x0 but less than 90xc2x0 with respect to the connector body.